Europe and Enceladustwo of the most mysterious moons of our solar systemcontinue to capture the attention of the scientific community. These celestial bodies, with their vast oceans hidden under thick ice caps, are considered among the most promising places to search for alien life. However, missions to explore these deep oceans are extremely complex and currently beyond our technological reach.
A revolutionary experiment
Recently, an experiment conducted by the NASA Goddard Center and led by scientist Alexander Pavlov offered new hope. Published in the journal Astrobiologythe study simulated radiation bombarding the ice of Europa and Enceladus, finding that traces of organic molecules vital to life, such as amino acids, could be found just 20 centimeters deep.
This means that it is not needed drill kilometers through the ice to reach the oceans below; instead, it might be enough to send rover capable of digging a few dozen centimetres below the surface to analyse these organic molecules.
Future Missions to Europa and Enceladus
The discovery has rekindled interest in future space missions, such as the Juice of the European Space Agency and the Europe Clipper from the NASAwhich aim to further explore these icy environments. These missions are crucial to better understand the environment of Europa and Enceladus and to test the theory that life can exist in extreme conditions, very different from those on Earth.
The simplicity with which we could now search for traces of life on these moons not only simplifies future exploration plans but also opens new questions about the resilience of life in extreme conditions and how it might spread throughout the cosmos.
What kind of discoveries do you think await us beneath the ice of these remote moons?
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